Page 27 of Desired By Eros

“Right.” He put the handkerchief back in his pocket. “Let’s go say hello to our hosts, shall we?” Not bothering to knock—the door was never locked anyway—he barged in. “Hello, hello, we’re here!”

“Coming!” came Artemis’s voice from the dining room, followed by the click-click of heels. “Psyche, you—Eros?” She skidded to a stop halfway down the hallway. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re here for dinner, of course? It’s still in the dining room right?”

The former goddess of the hunt put her hands on her hips. “Yes, but?—”

“Great! We’re hungry.” Motioning for Psyche to walk ahead, he followed her to the dining room, ignoring Artemis as she babbled something about “not invited” and “finding another place.”

“Psyche, there you are,” Agnes greeted as she shot up from her chair and trotted over to them, her arms already coming in for a hug. “We were just talking about you.”

Eros stepped between her and Psyche. “Hello, I don’t believe we were formally introduced this afternoon.”

“No,” she said, her tone frosty. “We were not.”

Cade, who was sitting at the head of the table, came to join them. From the exasperated expression on his face, Artemis had told him everything that had transpired that morning. “Allow me then. Agnes, this is Eros. Eros, this is Agnes Gialamas of the Vancouver Pack.”

“A pleasure to meet you.”

“And I’m Christine Gialamas.” Psyche’s middle sister pushed her way toward him, squeezing between Cade and Agnes. “Lord Eros.” She bowed her head low, looking up at him through long, curly lash extensions. “It’s an honor to meet you. Forgive us. We didn’t know who you were this morning. Thank you for offering to accompany our sister on her long trips.”

“I see Cade—the Alpha has told you who I am.”

“Yes, but not exactly what you’re doing here.” Agnes eyed him suspiciously once again. “He said you’re a guest, too.”

“Oh, Aggie.” Christine slapped her lightly on the arm. “I’m sure it’s a god thing, right Lord Eros?” She winked at him. “Some gods visit the mortal realm as one of us, hoping to find some…earthly delights.”

“Something like that.”

“Alright, I’m back,” Artemis said as she rushed into the dining room, a tray in her hand. She glared at Eros as she set up an extra plate at the end of the table. “Please, everyone, sit down and let’s eat.”

As the others sat down, Eros led Psyche to the empty chair next to Artemis and sat next to her and directly across from Christine, who seemingly had her eyes glued on him, trying to catch his gaze. While he was used to the admiration of women and men wherever he went, the she-wolf’s ogling grated on him. Christine had proven herself to be a selfish person andintentionally hurt Psyche, which pissed him off. But that only meant that her obvious desire for him would make his plan for tonight even more delicious.

The table was laden with dishes, family style and everyone served themselves as Cade and Artemis never entertained formally. There was a big bowl of salad, a tray of rolls, baked salmon, potatoes, and butter noodles.

“So, to what do we owe the pleasure of your company tonight, Eros?” Cade asked as he dished some potatoes on his plate.

“No need to worry about that. This one’s on me, Alpha,” he replied. “Would you like some salmon, Psyche?”

“Sure.”

He placed a fillet on her plate. “It’s not pizza, but it’ll do, right?” He winked at her.

“I suppose.” She gave him a small smile.

Eros could feel Agnes’s intense gaze and Christine’s envious glare, but didn’t pay them any mind as he continued to serve Psyche food.

“Alpha,” Agnes began. “While I appreciate Lord Eros volunteering to accompany Psyche on her dig, surely someone else can take over for him? I mean, no offense, Lord Eros, but you must be so busy. And with so much danger in the wilds of Alaska, perhaps it would be better if someone more familiar with the territory be with her? I’m sure my father would prefer it.”

“As I told him, I’m happy to do this favor for your family, as we have been allies for a long time.” Cade took a bite of salmon and swallowed. “But I do have my own wolves to think of. You’ve heard of the attacks from two years ago against our pack? I have every single able-bodied wolf working to keep us safe. So, for now, Eros is the only person I can spare to make the long journey.”

“And the only one with the wings to make the trip in no time,” Eros added. “Of course, Psyche wasn’t too comfortablein the beginning, but now that we’ve done it a few times, she’s getting used to the ride.”

“Y-you fly her?” Christine’s eyes narrowed at Psyche. “And you’ve seen his wings?”

“He needs to take them out to fly,” she replied.

“I take my shirt off too.”

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